Roblox – we’ve never blogged about that. While the game is still played by a lot of people (and especially children and teenagers): in May 2020 there were 155 million people active on Roblox every month. High time for a blog! We answer the most important questions: What exactly is Roblox? How does it work? Is it safe for children?
What is Roblox?
Roblox is a platform with which you can make your own games. Roblox games are called those games. And the nice thing is that others than yours can also play. And you the games of others. You learn to program there, and (if you are a premium member) you can also sell things you have made. They call the Roblox currency ‘Robux’, but you buy this Robux with real money.
You can give games a thumbs-up if you like them, and see what other games like.
And the nice thing is that others than your game can also play.
How does it work?
You must create an account to play and design games on Roblox. There are of course many different types of games, and you can all find them on Roblox. Adventure, Building, Military, Sports, and so on. There are quite a few free things you can use to make a game, certain building materials for example, but they have already been designed by others. And so it is no longer entirely your own. If you want to make something from scratch, it will take a lot more time. And some things you have to buy: like clothes for your avatar (a kind of online profile), or access to extra levels in games.
Game makers
The great thing about Roblox is that you can make a game without high costs to try out how people think it. Before you put in all the costs as a company, you can test your idea first. And anyone in the world can try your game, as long as you have a phone, tablet or internet access. You also get quick feedback from these players and you can adjust your game. It keeps getting better.
Contact with others
In Roblox you can connect with others. You can become friends with other users. And you can chat with each other, play a game together, and make a group with friends.
Is it safe?
You can play Roblox safe, just like almost everything else on the internet, but there are also risks involved. It is therefore important to pay close attention and to be sensible (and to guide your child in this). For example, via Roblox you can come into contact with strangers. And because there are always people online with ‘evil plans’, and these people also know very well that many children are active on Roblox, it is important to be extra alert to the contacts you have and the information you share.
From what age can you play Roblox?
The age advice that Roblox itself gives is from 7 years . The PEGI age rating is PEGI 7 , so from 7 years old. It is important to note that this assessment was made with the basic Roblox games. Games created by other players are not included in this rating.
The ESRB is another organization that classifies games. They give Roblox an E10 + rating; from 10 years due to fantasy and violence. They also alert parents to Roblox’s communication channels. In-game players chat with each other, which involves risks.
5 tips for parents
A few points to note.
In-game purchases
Roblox is best advised to make purchases in the game. You can play it for free, but you will always be tempted to spend Robux money anyway. And players among themselves can also insist on this. Good to make agreements about this in advance.
Pay attention to the self-made games of players
Since players create the games themselves, there is no age verification or age rating.
Roblox does check the games, for example for inappropriate images or profanity. But games that have a horror or murder theme often get through the check. You can indicate in your account account restrictions that, for example, you only want games made for children under 13 years old. But this is not foolproof.
Online games in the living room
To prevent your child from playing a violent game, you can agree to only play online games in the living room for others to watch. In the end, this ‘social filter’ often works best. By showing an interest in the game your child is playing, you can keep track of which Roblox games are being played
Parental supervision
You can turn on parental controls in the game. You can read more about this on the Roblox website. They have a special page for parents, where they explain how the game works and how you can watch and help your children. The special Roblox parent page can be found here: https://corp.roblox.com/parents/ .
Fixed rules
A number of fixed rules for any online platform are useful to agree on in your family. Think of:
- Never use your real name;
- Never tell where you live or what school you attend;
- Never meet offline with people you only know online;
- Never send photos of yourself, your surroundings, your identity documents, etc .;
- Always be aware that not everyone has good intentions;
- If you get a strange chat from someone, report it. Roblox can then see what is going wrong and address or block the user.
